Survival
by Wakkowarnerlover
Summary: Dennis the rogue has devised a new way to scare the agents into joining him: By kidnapping them and releasing them, helpless, into Danville Wood to be forced into surrender by his new partner Wizard. Perry manages to find shelter with a wild platypus and her three babies, but is unsure whether he will be found. (NOTE: SOME THINGS MAY NOT MAKE SENSE WITHOUT READING MY OTHER FICS)
1. Chapter 1

Monogram cleared his throat. "The reason I called you here, Carl… is because I have some unfortunate news."

"Is the Mexican food station gone again?" Carl asked.

"Honestly, Carl, is food ALL you think about?" Monogram huffed. "No, it's still there. And stocked with plenty of tacos. Carl, I have discovered that the rogues are tied in with the disappearance of some of our best agents."

Carl counted on his fingers. "So far, we're missing Agent C, Agent P, Agent L, Agent K, and Agent D, right?"  
"Yes. And the only reason we know they're missing is their owners put up lost cat, lizard, dog, panda and kangaroo posters."

"I still can't believe Agent K's host family can fit him in their house." Carl said.

"They're a nice AND impressive family." Monogram said. "I've figured out that the rogues have been capturing our agents and then releasing them into Danville Wood. I've placed surveyor agents around the area, but I'm worried-"

"Can't we just track the missing agents?" Carl asked.

"I was able to track them INTO Danville Wood, but then I lost the signal." Monogram said. "Don't interrupt, Carl. Danville Wood is a big area. No one gets through without a map. The agents can wander in circles for days and never find the way out. Only the surveyor agents know their way around there, but it's so big, there's only a one-percent chance they'll actually find a lost agent."

"Wow." Carl said.

"There's more." Monogram said. "Apparently Dennis- the leader of the rogues- has gotten human help. He's hired a boy named Wizard. I've notified the surveyor agents about Wizard, but I hope that if they come across him, they won't mistake him for an ordinary kid and let him go… Never mind that. I heard about it from an unknown source. Wizard finds the agents, asks them to assist the rogues, and if they refuse…" Monogram didn't finish his sentence.

"Why don't the rogues just ask them and… you know… when they catch them?" Carl asked. "Why are they releasing them into the woods first?"

"Because they're trying to scare us into surrendering." Monogram said. "And… Wizard likes the idea. Twisted mind, that kid. I haven't told the surveyor agents about the hunting-down plot. I don't want them to get scared."

Carl frowned. "I hope no more agents get caught."

"Me too, Carl. Me too."

* * *

Perry was dozing away on Ferb's bed when he was jolted awake by a loud scream.

"JEREMY ASKED ME TO GO WITH HIM TO THE DANCE!" Candace shouted. "EEEEEEKKKK!"

"I thought someone died." Perry mumbled, trying to get back into a comfortable sleeping position.

"You've been asleep all day!" Phineas poked his pet in the ribs. "Come on, Perry. Get up!"

"Gotta recharge."

"Gosh, how long were you gone last night?"

"Five hours." Perry yawned. "Didn't come home until four in the morning. Now I must sleep. Must recharge."

"Aw, come on." Phineas rubbed his cheek. "Don't you want to do something fun? Seize the day!"

"I am seizing the day. I am using it for sleeping."

"Lazy." Phineas said.

"Awake person." Perry retorted.

"I know how to get him up for the day." Ferb said. "Let's make him coffee, throw it, and have him catch it. Like fetch."  
"No running." Perry murmured. "Running is evil."

"Fine, we'll let you sleep." Phineas opened up a red electronic device and started playing on it. "Hey Ferb, can I tag you again on Search 4 Yu? I still haven't gotten to the Tower of Doom-ocity yet."  
"Sure." Ferb pulled out the same game system in blue. "Have you tagged Perry yet? I haven't."  
"Perry, can you tag me?"  
Perry tapped Phineas on the head without opening his eyes. "There."

"No, I mean connect with me on Yu Street."

"I don't have one of those… thingy devices." Perry said sleepily.

"The BX in 4D? You HAVE to get one. It's awesome."

"4D?" Perry sat up. "I've heard of 3D. What the heck is 4D?"

"The images pop out, AND you can smell them."

"Eew." Ferb said. "I'm fighting a dragon, and I don't think he's had a bath in weeks."

"Lovely." Perry yawned again. "If someone wants to make me a pot of coffee, I'll get up."

"Okay. Just let me finish fighting this ghoul. I'm trying to win a new pair of sunglasses for my Yu. Ferb, what kind of glasses is your Yu wearing?"  
"Rainbow-tastic."  
"Dang. I only have Green."

* * *

"I can't believe Devon's gone." Perry said.

"He's not gone, he's just missing." Pinky said, doing a push-up. He collapsed. "There. I doubled the amount of push-ups I was able to do last week."

"Woah. How many did you do last time?"

"…One."

Perry rolled his eyes. "I can do twenty in under a minute."

"Blame my trainer." Pinky said.

"I'd have traded Ellen for yours any day. Did I ever tell you about the time she made me throw up?"

Pinky's eyes got wide. "No."

"Well, we were doing sit-ups, and I was doing only about one every five seconds, which was driving Ellen insane. She told me to do them until she told me to stop. So I kept doing them, and after a while I asked her when she was going to let me stop. She said 'I don't know'. So I did some more, and then I started feeling sick to my stomach. I told her, and she said, 'Well, now I can give you an answer to your question. DO THEM UNTIL YOU THROW UP!' but luckily I didn't have to do any after that because I DID throw up and I think that was around the time Monogram assigned Ellen a new job."

"Gosh. Harsh."

"Yeah, she was always like that." Perry looked around. The walls in the O.W.C.A gym were covered with pictures of previous agents who had broken records. Most of them were either dead, rogue, or retired.

"That's my pappy." Pinky said, pointing at a picture of a very skinny-looking Chihuahua. "He broke the record for jumping the highest. But it was only because a really big cat meowed behind him."

"No one in my family ever won anything." Perry said.

"It's only a matter of time." Pinky said.

"Hey guys!" Peter poked his head in the door.

"Peter!" Pinky ran over to him and hugged him. "You're okay!"

"I called one of the surveyor agents on my phone to find me." Peter said. "Good thing I remembered to charge it."  
"What happened?" Pinky asked.

"I don't know. One minute I was minding my own business, the next I'd been knocked out. When I woke up, I had no idea where I was. All I saw were trees. So I walked around for a while, and then I called Bernie the bear."

"Rogues." Pinky said. "Probably Dennis."

Perry tensed at the mention of Dennis. The last time he'd seen him, Dennis had beaten Phineas senseless.

"Sorry, Perry." Pinky said. "I didn't mean to bring back any… bad memories."

"I think everyone should stay inside or something." Peter said. "Agents keep getting taken. Right after I got back, two more were reported."

"Who?" Perry asked.

"Darren the duck and Alan the alligator."

"Oh no." Perry said.

"OH YEAH!" Billy the beaver said, coming out of nowhere. "Alan beat me in Go Fish ALL WEEK! Now I'll never lose another game again! WAHOO!"

"Thank you for having an opinion. Please never let it get to your mouth again." Perry said.

* * *

"And you're SURE you can navigate Danville Forest?" Dennis the rabbit asked.

Wizard shrugged. "Sure I'm sure. I have a GPS, you know."

"You're an interesting human." Dennis said. "You have the ability to speak with animals…"

"The intelligence to speak with animals." Wizard corrected.

Dennis frowned. He didn't like being interrupted. "…And you are willing to join our group to help our cause."

"I always hated rules." Wizard said. "They all stink and make no sense."

"Well, the organization we're destroying has rules, so I'm sure that won't be conflicting for you." Dennis smiled. "My daughter Denise is fighting down in Danville Harbor along with a few other young rogues. And we, the older rogues, must focus our attention on the agency. So, it's great to have you on board. You will… _patrol_ the woods for us."  
Wizard smiled. "I will enjoy that greatly."

"You seem smart, for a child." Dennis said.

"I'm an adult." Wizard said, setting his jaw. "I haven't grown since I was ten."

Dennis was confused for a moment, but then he smiled.

"Even better, then. If you run into any large animals…"

"Surveyor Agents. I assure you, Dennis, my small size does not in any way effect my accuracy in battle. I will defeat them with my bare hands. And I will hunt down each enemy. They will either become one of us, or become…"

"Less fortunate." Dennis finished.

"Exactly." Wizard said.

Dennis beamed at him. "William Ian Zaro Andrew Reginald David III, I believe you and I will become great friends."


	2. Chapter 2

"I finally got that game thingy that you were pushing me to get." Perry said. "Am I supposed to 'tag' you now or whatever?"

"Yeah! But you have to create a 'Yu' first." Phineas took the BX out of Perry's hands and pressed a few buttons. "Okay, now take a picture of your face."

"Why?"

"So your Yu will look like you."

Perry took a picture with the BX and waited while it loaded. "It's insulting me. It says 'No face was detected'."

"It SHOULD work." Phineas said. "Ferb took a picture of his hand once and it worked."

"That's because I drew a face on it in maker." Ferb said.

"Okay, there it goes. Hey! It made my face huge!"

"You can change it."

"This device doesn't like me. It thinks I have no face."

"Change it and hurry up so I can tag you!"

Perry sighed. "Fine." He selected Search 4 Yu.

"Okay, now we put the BXs together." Phineas said. "And there! It found you. Now you can use my Yu to fight monsters and rescue your Yu."

Perry tried it.

"A ghoul is blocking your way!" The game said. "What will Phineas do? Fight, poke it with a stick, offer it some tea and cookies, or run away?"

"Gosh, a ghoul is in my way. I'm gonna offer it some cookies." Perry said sarcastically.

"Poke it with a stick!" Ferb said.

Perry pushed 'Fight'.

"Phineas hits the ghoul! And he hits him again! And again!" The game said.

"The ghoul smells like cinnamon." Perry observed. "This 4D is really good."

"But now the ghoul is angry. Phineas runs away!" Said the game.

"Phineas, you big chicken." Perry shook his head.

"I TOLD you to poke it with a stick." Ferb said.

* * *

"This will only take a second of your time." Monogram said.

"Gosh. I'm going to be one second late now. You just ruined my whole schedule for the day." Perry said.

Sometimes he hated not being able to communicate with Monogram. It was more fun when people reacted to your sarcasm.

"Ever since the first few agents were kidnapped, Carl began perfecting a better GPS microchip, one that can probably be sensed through the bad signals of Danville Wood. This will provide a better chance of us finding you if you were to… well, you know. Anyway, no guarantees that it will work, but, better to be safe than sorry. Carl claims that it's as good as he can get it. And don't worry about the other chip you already have. I've deactivated it."

"Now a minute of my time is being wasted." Perry said.

Monogram held up a thin syringe. "You know how this goes. You've done it before."

"I was mindless and a day old." Perry said. "All I remember from THAT point in my life is grass."

"Lay down."

Perry obeyed. Monogram injected him in between the shoulder blades. "There you go." He patted Perry on the head and disposed of the needle.

"MAJOR MONOGRAM!" Carl ran into the room. His hands were on his head.

"What is it now, Carl?" Monogram asked.

"It's… Agent C!" Carl said. "Clara the chicken! She's GONE!"

"WHAT?"

"Oh, no, don't worry, sir. She's still here. I was just practicing my acting. Do you think I'm good?"

"Get OUT, Carl! And send the next agent in! Agent P, you can go now."

"Some people don't appreciate great art." Carl huffed as he left the room.

* * *

"Where is the stupid food supplies?" Wizard demanded through the videophone.

Dennis sighed and rubbed one of his ears. "We can't waste good food on someone who we don't know. I gave you enough cookies to last a couple of days. I heard kids love the stuff. The rest of the food you'll have to find yourself, berries and whatnot. Surviving in the wild will make you stronger and more responsible."

"I am NOT a child! And what is this about growing stronger? I'm going to STARVE to death, you idiot!" Wizard stamped his foot. "I'M the one helping YOU. Also, where am I supposed to sleep? In a tree?"

"Yes."

"Get me a ventilated tent or forget the whole thing."

"I am NOT going to be pushed around by a KID!" Dennis snapped. "You get what you get. Do you want me to turn off the connection to your GPS, or do you want to help?"

"Listen to me, you little creep! I am THIRTY YEARS OF AGE! I AM AN ADULT!"

Dennis was silent.

"I'll help." Wizard mumbled.

Dennis smiled. "Good. Very good."

* * *

"Oh my gosh. Did you see Leonard today? He like, totally bombed physical training."

"Oh I know. And Marvin was all like, 'Omg Leonard!' and Leonard was all like, 'Omg what?' and then Marvin was all like 'OMGGG'."

Perry rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the three female agents that were sitting near him. He had to deal with them every single day. They sat near his lair, and he had to listen to them when he packed up his gadgets for the night.

The girls started quietly giggling. Perry knew they were laughing at him. Even if they did it quietly, they couldn't hide it.

"So cute!" A horse whispered.

"If I went out with him, I would like totally die of happiness." A rabbit whispered back.

"I'm right here." Perry growled.

"We weren't talking about you." The rabbit said.

"Oh, like, no, totally. We wouldn't." The horse started giggling again. "Did you guys see Ethan today?"

"Oh. My. Gosh. Yes!"

"Look." Perry said. "This area in front of my lair door has been mine ever since I was three and learned about dibs. So beat it, all of you. Find another place to gossip."

"You don't like us here?" A golden retriever asked.

"Such, like, a grump. It's a good thing he's cute." The rabbit said.

"We would still totally date you." The horse said. "Even if you were a grump all through our dates and yelled at our children."

"I have four." Perry said.

The girls were silent for a moment.

"Like, what are WE doing here?" The retriever asked.

"I don't know." The horse said.

The girls got up and started to leave. The rabbit called back, "If you ever dump her, call me!"

The girls had just vanished down the hall when he was grabbed.

Someone covered his mouth, and someone else blindfolded him. Perry tried to fight back, but someone really strong was holding down his arms. At first he thought it was the girls, back to take him by force as their mate.

"We have taken your sense of direction as well as your will." Hissed a voice that was speaking in Giraffe. "Resisting is useless."

* * *

Perry was dragged along by his captors for miles. He had tried to figure out which way they were going, but they had spun him a couple of times, and now he had no clue where he was.

After a while, the air got warmer and moister. The scent of grass and trees surrounded Perry.

"We will release you now." Said the giraffe. "Good luck. You'll need it."

The instant Perry's hands were free, he yanked off his blindfold and whirled around. But his kidnappers were out of sight.

So was the sky, blocked out by trees. There was nothing but trees.

Perry had been released into Danville Wood.

* * *

The first thing Perry tried was his phone, but it was dead. He walked around for a while, making as much noise as possible, but after a couple of hours, he just sat down under a tree and stared into space.

Hopefully that microchip Carl had invented worked. Monogram would be able to find him if it did.

But it would take Monogram at least a day to realize Perry was gone.

Perry stretched out underneath the tree and tried to make himself comfortable. Maybe he could just sleep until help came.

He heard a hiss in the distance and instantly sat up. It wouldn't be a good idea to sleep out in the open. Badgers probably lived in Danville Wood. Not to mention hungry snakes.

Perry started walking again, and soon he came to a tiny river. At the very end of it, there was a tall cave that looked perfect for a platypus.

Perry climbed inside and curled up. At least he'd get some good rest.

* * *

When Perry woke up, a platypus was staring at him.

"You have come to my nestie." The platypus said. She had a few faint scratches on her face and bill, and her eyes were a smoky blue.

"I… what?" Perry was still a little drowsy from sleep.

"My nestie." The platypus said. "You are in it."

"Oh." Perry stood up. "I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone lived… I'm sorry. I'll get out."

"You don't have to go now." The platypus said. "I get very lonely. I have pups, but they get lonely too. And then we are all lonely and lonely is not fun."

"Doesn't sound like it." Perry said.

"Did you know I made eggs once?"

"Um… no. But my mother did once. She told me that story a bunch of times. I think it was called the Magical Egg story or something."

The platypus's eyes nearly focused in her amazement. "Magical. Very magical. My name is Cassie. I am a platypus and I live in Danville Wood. And I have three pups."

"Where?"

"Behind you."

Perry turned around. Three baby platypuses were all staring sideways at him. It was kind of creepy.

"That is Leaf, because when he first broke out of his egg, the first thing he looked at was a leaf. And that is Rock, because he looked at a rock. And that is Tree…"

"Because he looked at a tree?"

"No. Because he looked at a fog cloud. But behind the fog cloud was a tree, and that is what he would have seen if the fog cloud was not there."

"How old are they?"

"Two days."

Leaf made a peeping noise.

"He thinks he is a birdie." Cassie said.

Perry's stomach growled.

"Do you need food inside of you?" Cassie asked.

Perry nodded. "Yeah. Do you know where I can find any?"

"Silly. You rest. I will come back to this spot here." Cassie bounded out of the cave.

Perry looked at Leaf, Tree and Rock. They looked back at him.

"So… um… you guys like any certain kinds of music?" Perry asked.

"Beepie." Said Rock.

"Right." Perry muttered. "Two days old. I forgot."

Cassie returned a moment later. She spit out a pile of chewed-up worms. "There is food."

"Um… I like my food when I'M the first one to chew it." Perry said.

"You need food." Cassie said. "Platypuses run on food. And grass."

"I'll go find some."

"I found some. It is there. Eat it."  
Perry ate from the pile, trying to find worms that had been chewed on the least. Cassie also ate a little, and then went to nurse her babies.

It could have been worse. He could have been rooming with an annoying monkey. Or even a snake.

At least he was surrounded by friendly platypuses.

Leaf approached Perry and burped.

Perry raised an eyebrow. "Excuse you."

"Bluuubbb." Leaf drooled milk down the side of his mouth.  
Perry took a step back. Hopefully Monogram would come for him soon.

Because if he didn't, he'd be stuck in Danville Wood with baby Leaf.


	3. Chapter 3

Ferb sat in the kitchen, eating Candace's favorite cereal. He hoped Perry would come home from wherever he was pretty soon. Phineas was so worried.

"FERB!" Candace called.

Ferb didn't respond. He looked at the back of the cereal box to see if there was anything interesting to read on there.

"Ferb!" Candace tapped on his shoulder. "Have you seen Phineas?"

Ferb shook his head.

"Great." Candace muttered. "He gets lost when I'M in charge."

Ferb gave her a confused look.

"He told me he was going over to Isabella's, and he had this backpack with him. I told him sure. But a few minutes ago I called Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro and she said she hadn't seen Phineas all day and Isabella has been sitting in front of the TV since SIX AM! You're the only person who probably knows where he is! WHERE IS HE?"

Ferb shrugged.

"How can you not know? When mom finds out, she's gonna kill me!"

Ferb thought. Phineas wasn't in the backyard, in the house, or at Isabella's. And he had a backpack with him, which meant he probably was meaning to leave.

Why hadn't Phineas told him?

Hurt by these thoughts, Ferb went back to reading the cereal box.

"I am so dead. So dead." Candace went over to the phone and started dialing another number. "Hello? Mrs. Weaver? It's your neighbor, Candace Flynn. Have you seen Phineas?"

* * *

Perry woke to find himself part of a platypus pile. Leaf was on top of him, Cassie was next to him, and Tree and Rock were on top of Cassie.

Perry carefully rolled over so that Leaf slid down next to Cassie.

After about an hour, the others woke up. They ate, and then Cassie entertained herself for the rest of the morning by picking up each of her pups and moving them back and forth to different areas in the small cave.

The pups remained wherever she placed them. They didn't seem to be very interested in movement.

"They are very little." Cassie said. "They are my pups. I will protect them from danger."

Perry smiled. "They're lucky to have you."  
Cassie beamed with pride. Then she picked up Rock in her mouth and moved him over next to Leaf.

Around the afternoon, Cassie dipped each pup in the river for a few seconds and then put them back in the cave.

Then she tried to pick Perry up by the scruff of the neck, but she couldn't really get him off of the ground. She dragged him over to the river and tossed him in.

Perry surfaced a few seconds later. "Are you crazy?" He gasped.

"It is bathtime." Cassie said.

"You're not my mother. I am perfectly capable of getting into a river."

Cassie frowned. "I am sorry. I did not know. I do not have smartsies like you do."

Perry sighed. "It's fine."

"Where is your mother?"

"In Danville Zoo. She's lived there her whole life."

"When did you go from there?"

"When I was about a day old."

Cassie looked sad.

"I'm different, though. Your babies won't leave you. They are fully dependent on you to take them anywhere."

Cassie gave him a friendly look. "That is good. I want them to stay forever."

"I'm sure they will."

"They are my first ones." Cassie said. "And when I had them, I was very happy. Have you ever felt that?"

"Happy? Yes. But that was only when I was…" Perry stopped for a moment.

Cassie cocked her head. In the cave, the three pups imitated her movement in unison.

"…Adopted." Perry finished. Poor Phineas and Ferb were probably worried sick about him. Perry wished he could call them, at least to tell them he was okay.

"It will be okay." Cassie said, seeming to understand his anxiety. "It will get better."

She licked him to try and console him.

Perry nodded. "They'll find me soon enough."

* * *

"Agent P has gone missing." Monogram said.

All of the agents gasped. Then they all started barking, meowing, growling, croaking and squawking at once.

"Quiet!" Monogram waved his arms for attention. "No need to worry. I have notified the surveyor agents. However… we aren't aware of his exact location. So the rest of you, be very careful. Someone is obviously targeting our agents. One of you will be next."

"Will I be next?" Billy the beaver asked.

"Maybe." Pinky said. "You had better watch your back." He felt very concerned. He hoped Perry was okay, wherever he was.

* * *

"I'm worried about Simon." Daly told Terrence.

Terrence was sitting on his back porch. The front porch had caved in a few days before, but Terrence didn't really mind. Almost everything in the town of Gluum was broken anyway.

"Which resident is Simon again?" Terrence asked.

The dog sat down next to him. "Simon Sircumfrence. He started… existing here about two years ago. Tall, wears long coats, crooked teeth?"

"Oh yes." Terrence said. "Doesn't he live by himself in that old townhouse near the arcade? He never comes out, is that why you're worried?"

"Not really." Daly said. "He's just been acting extra strangely lately. He has been asking residents to try his latest 'creation'. I saw him experimenting with different-colored putty-like substances, and he is asking the other souls what they know about kicking people out of their bodies… it's all very strange. I'd ask him what it was all about, but…"

"You're afraid of him."

Daly narrowed his eyes. "Afraid? Ha. No, Simon doesn't scare me. I just don't believe he'd tell me. He hates me. He hates Gluum. All he wants to do is go back up to the surface and return to his life of being a happy banker. I've explained to him that you can't leave Gluum unless someone drags you out, but he doesn't want to hear it."

"Maybe he's just created some new putty or something."

"Putty that can shove souls out of their bodies? I'm not sure. A few years ago, before you came to exist here, a woman named Zelle Jones attempted… temporary stealing of…"

Daly didn't finish his sentence, but Terrence knew exactly what he was talking about. "Oh no. Did it work?"

"Zelle was kicked out of Gluum before she could try. But if she had succeeded… I doubt any good would have come of that." Daly looked sad. "I don't know everything, Terrence, but I do know that… that sort of thing will never be used for anything good."

"If it's possible." Terrence pointed out.

"There are only a few things in this world that are impossible." Daly said. "And all of them can be proved possible in time."

* * *

"You need grains? I can find wheatsies. They are plantied by the water sometimes."

"Not grains, Cassie. Migraine. Headache." Perry moaned.

"So grains make your head hurt?"  
"Cassie, listen. Imagine a pack of platypuses. The head of that pack…"  
"The alpha platypus."

"Yes. The alpha. If platypuses were headaches, a migraine would be the alpha platypus. Killer, king, head of all the headaches."

"How can a headachie have a head?" Cassie asked, missing the whole point.

"Just stop being so loud and get me some water or something." Perry rolled over onto his side and pressed his hands against his head. "Before I throw up."

"Water for drinking?"

"For my head. Please."

Cassie left. Perry was glad that her pups were generally quiet. They had hardly made so much as a chatter for as long as Perry had been there.

How long had he been there, anyway? A couple of days? A week?

A few minutes later, Cassie returned. She spit out the water she had been holding in her mouth on Perry's head.

"Water for head." She said proudly. "For the alpha platypus of headachies with heads."

"…Thanks." Perry said, trying to keep the water from flowing into his eyes.

* * *

Bernie the bear patrolled the woods, trying to keep an eye out for the missing agents.

Almost a week had gone by since Perry had been reported missing, and Bernie still hadn't found any sign of him.

Bernie passed by Ferret's den. Ferret was a fellow agent who had to devote most of her time to her babies, so she couldn't really help look.

"Seen anything around this area?" Bernie asked.

"Nope." Ferret called back from her den.

Bernie walked on.

A few seconds later, he heard a noise. It didn't sound like any animal he knew of. Bernie backed away into the bushes to hide.

Emerging from in between the plants came a little boy. He didn't look so good. He was skinny and covered in thorns.

Bernie felt a little sorry for him. He looked weak and tired, like he had been roaming around for a long time.

The boy sat down under a tree and pulled out a flashlight from the backpack he was carrying. He tried to turn it on, but it wouldn't respond.

"Stupid batteries." The boy whimpered. "I guess I should have expected it wasn't gonna work forever. Stupid, stupid batteries." He stuffed the flashlight back in his pack.

"Wizard." Bernie growled, a little too loudly.

The boy looked up in fear, but Bernie was still hidden behind the bushes. The kid probably couldn't see him.

"Animal? I don't have any food. Sorry. I ran out a few days ago. And I probably don't taste so good."

Bernie came out from his hiding place. "Wizard. You thought you were being stealth, did you?"  
The boy's eyes widened. He backed away from Bernie slowly. "Easy, bear… easy."

Bernie kept advancing.

"Fine, fine! I still have a few cookies left. I lied." The boy took out a package of chocolate chip cookies and threw them at Bernie. "Eat those, not me! I don't have any meat on me."

Bernie sniffed the package. Maybe he was wrong about this kid. Maybe he was just a lost boy, walking around in Danville Wood.

Bernie sat down and rolled over, showing that he was friendly.

The boy smiled a little. "Hi, bear."

* * *

"Bernie! Wake up!"

Bernie sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Why were you asleep?" Ellen the eagle demanded.

Bernie yawned. "Oh. Well, I ran into this kid in the woods, and he shared his food with me, and then he was cold, so he fell asleep on my belly where my fur kept him warm. He should still be…" Bernie looked around.

The kid, his cookies, and his backpack were all gone.

"A kid?" Ellen asked. "You fraternized with WIZARD?"

"I don't think it was Wizard. This child was very kind. He shared his cookies with me."

"Monogram warned us that he might try to befriend us to get our guard down."

"I'm telling you, this kid probably wasn't Wizard!"

"Wizard was sent off by Dennis with a flashlight, a sleeping bag, and ten full packets of cookies." Ellen said.

Bernie frowned. He hadn't seen the sleeping bag… but the flashlight and the cookies… those had to be coincidences.

Or had he, in one stupid move, lost the chance to defeat an enemy?

"Bernard." Ellen said. "You allowed Wizard to escape you, and the agents in the wood are still in danger."

Bernie bent his head. "I am sorry."

Ellen sighed. "I'll keep watching from the sky. You keep patrolling the grounds. We may still find him yet."

Bernie wasn't so sure. He doubted Wizard would ever get within three feet of him again.

But he couldn't dwell on his mistake. He would find that boy. And he would bring him back to the major.

He would fix this.


	4. Chapter 4

Perry tramped around in Danville Wood, looking for something to eat besides half-chewed worms. He had tried to get Cassie to let him hunt for his own food, but apparently she was too stupid to realize that he wasn't one of her own pups and thought he was unable to hunt.

He dug around in the dirt a little with his bill. He found a worm.

"I am going to Wormville." The worm said. "From there I will continue on to Wormington, the capital of Wormland."

"Where's that?" Perry asked.

"Down in the ground." The worm said. It began to dig.

"Should I find a different worm to eat?" Perry asked.

"Yes. Yes you should." The worm vanished into the earth.

Perry didn't mind looking for a different worm. It was a little disconcerting to have a conversation with his dinner, anyway.

He found a couple of worms near a tree and ate them, but it wasn't enough to fill him. He began to look for bugs when he heard a hiss that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"Meat." The hiss said. "Fresh meat."

A badger crawled out of the bushes and approached Perry. "I like meat."

Perry backed up and hit a tree. He wasn't very frightened, though. He could take on a badger.

But then some more badgers came out from different corners. They started surrounding him.

"Back off!" The first badger said. "He is mine. I found him first."

"No, I did." Another said. "I smelled his blood before you did."

"Look, fellas." Perry said. "There's this thing called vegetarianism, and it's actually pretty cool. Maybe you guys can look into it."

"This one is smart." The badger said. "Maybe his brain will be big."

"Brains." A badger to Perry's left said longingly.

Great. He was surrounded by zombie badgers who weren't vegetarians.

"My brains taste gross." Perry said.

"How would you know?" The closest badger asked. "Have you ever tasted them?"

"He is not food." Cassie appeared from behind the tree and stood in front of Perry. "And you cannot eat him."

"Are you insane?" Perry asked. "They'll eat you alive! Get out of here!"

"Two dinners." One of the badgers said. "Yummy. Now two badgers can have a meal."

A flame seemed to light in Cassie's eyes, and they nearly focused. Cassie bit the badger on the nose.

The badger shrank back. "Mean dinner. Feisty. It must be killed."

Cassie jumped at him with surprising speed and clawed him. The badger hissed in anger and ran away. Cassie attacked the next badger.

Perry unfroze from his spot near the tree and punched one of the badgers in the leg. One by one, the badgers fled into the wood.

When they had all gone, Perry turned to Cassie. "Where did you ever learn to fight like that?"

"Fighting is an in-stinct." Cassie said. "All platypuses use in-stincts to stay alive and protect their babies."

"Cassie, you know I'm not… your baby, right?"  
"I know. But I must protect you. You are my family."

"I'm not. We aren't related."

"You do not have to be related to be a family." Cassie said.

"You're an awesome fighter." Perry said. "You'd probably knock villains out left and right with the right training."

Cassie smiled. "It makes me feel fluffy for you to say that."

"You can just say happy." Perry said.

"I know happy. But fluffy is the happiest of all the happies. Like a happy marshmallow that is white and fluffy."

"Thank you for saving me."

"I protect." Cassie said. "That is why I am existed." She started back to her cave. "Are you coming?"

Perry followed her.

* * *

"It is nearly perfect." Simon said, as a puff of light brown smoke came from the pot he was stirring. "Nearly perfect."

"What is?" Daly asked.

Simon yelped and whirled around. The pot crashed to the ground. Black liquid settled in the floorboards. "Who are YOU?"  
Daly sighed. "You must remember me. Dalrond Wuaz? Daly Wuaz? The guy who greeted you when you first came to Gluum?"

"Yes." Simon picked up his pot. "I remember now. So, you just have authority to barge into anyone's house as often as you like?"

"I give people their privacy." Daly said. "However, there has been a lot of suspicious activity going on around here, and being the one in charge of this whole town, I believe it's only right that you tell me about this project of yours."

Simon sighed. "It's nothing. Nothing you need to worry about. It won't affect you at all."

"Who will it affect?" Daly asked.

Simon pointed at the ceiling. "Those people. The alive people."

"We don't know if they ARE up there." Daly reminded him. "They could be to Gluum's left, or Gluum's right, or they could even be underneath us."

"Then why do you constantly refer to them as 'up there' when you speak of them?" Simon asked.

Daly shrugged. "Just tell me what you are doing here."

"Like I would tell you." Simon grumbled.

"Is it illegal?"

Simon didn't answer.

Daly fumed. "Simon Sircumference, the only things that are considered illegal in Gluum are attempts at haunting, possession or soul destruction! And based on the information I have gathered, you can only be trying to possess a body or destroy a soul! And that is not something that I will tolerate! I'll lock you up! I'll kick you out of Gluum!"

Simon pressed a button, and a barred cage surrounded him and his stove, blocking Daly from coming any closer to him. "I'd like to continue with my work." He said calmly. "And don't bother with the bars. They're a special kind of iron. I don't believe anyone will be breaking through them to arrest me anytime soon."

Daly spit at him and left.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Dennis asked Wizard.

"I can't believe you only packed me COOKIES to live off of!" Wizard snapped. He looked so angry that Dennis set the videophone down on his desk and took a few steps away. "I'm almost out of them! I'm skinny as a rod! And how can you expect me to find these random animals? There are TONS of animals infesting these stupid woods!"

"You'll know them when you see them." Dennis said.

"That's what you keep saying. All I've run into so far is a stupid squirrel. Then this eagle tried to grab me. It's all so stupid!"

"If you succeed, I'll make you rich." Dennis offered. He hoped Wizard wouldn't quit on him. Kids- or adults that looked like kids- could be so unpredictable sometimes.

"Listen, Dennis." Wizard snarled. "I know how to make fires. And, if you don't get something nourishing to me within twenty-four hours, I'LL BURN DOWN THE WHOLE MISERABLE WOOD AND EVERYTHING IN IT, INNOCENT AND GUILTY!"

"That isn't the PLAN! How are we going to turn the animals if they're all dead?"

"We won't!" Wizard said. "No woods, no animals, no nothing! You get me what I want, or I destroy your chances of getting what YOU want!"

"Wizard. Calm down."

"I will NOT calm down! You do what I want! Or I will destroy the woods AND that stupid rogue base you built there!"

"You're mental!" Dennis shouted. "You can't just burn down the woods. There are tons of creatures living there who don't know anything. And our base! Wizard, weren't you going to help us with our base?"

"Twenty-four hours." Wizard said, and hung up.

* * *

Perry was half-asleep when he heard a twig snapping near the cave. He sat up and listened.

Leaves were crunching. Someone was walking around nearby.

Perry poked his head out of the cave and looked. It was kind of hard to see because of the darkness, but he could almost make out a scraggly kid with a backpack.

Perry sniffed the air. The kid smelled like cookies, plants and dirt, with a hint of a cheese sandwich. And sort of familiar.

Perry came out from the cave and slowly crawled toward the kid.

The kid stopped walking, staring at him. Then he ran at him.

Perry stayed where he was.

The kid grabbed him and fell to the ground, wrapping him in a huge hug. "Perry… I thought I'd never see you again…"

Perry hugged Phineas back. "Holy cow, kid, I can feel your bones. What have you had to eat?"

"I packed two sandwiches, but I ate those the first few days… and my last pack of cookies I had to throw to a bear. I'm so happy to see you!"

"You came after me?" Perry wiped his eyes, which had started tearing up with joy. He'd missed Phineas so much. "Where's Ferb?"

"Ferb's probably back at home. Yeah… I was so worried. I actually tracked you here. I found some pawprints… and… then I got lost… I feel dizzy."  
"You're starved." Perry said. "Come on, you'd better lie down. I'll find you something."

He helped Phineas back to the cave. "Those guys sleeping in there are Cassie, Leaf, Tree and Rock. They won't bite. They'll just stare at you."

Phineas lay down inside the cave and instantly fell asleep. Perry curled up next to him and closed his eyes.

* * *

Cassie was thrilled when she first saw Phineas.

"It is an animal that is new." She said. "What is it called?"

"A human. But his name is Phineas." Perry said.

"Human." Cassie repeated. "It is a pale skeleton."

"Yeah. He's not doing so well. He needs food."

"I can find some."

"I don't think he'll eat it if it's already been chewed. And he doesn't like to eat worms."

"What will the human eat?"

"He'll probably eat berries and grains."

"I will find some." Cassie said. She bounded outside.

Perry stayed near Phineas. Leaf, Tree and Rock stared intently at the opening of the cave, waiting for their mother to return.

"Beeple." Said Leaf.

"She'll come back." Perry told him.

"Beeple beeple blub." Leaf began to drool.

Cassie dragged a big leaf into the cave. There were a few stalks of wheat and some berries on it.

The baby platypuses looked confused. Usually their mother brought worms.

"Milkie." Said Tree.

"In a moment." Cassie said. She pushed the leaf over to Phineas. "This is food for the human who is asleep."

"I'll wake him up in a bit." Perry said.

Cassie licked him and Phineas on the cheek and went to take care of her babies.

Perry gently rubbed Phineas. "Hey buddy. Cassie brought you fruit."

Phineas stirred a little in his sleep.

"Wake up."

Phineas opened his eyes. "Huh?"

"Don't eat too fast, okay? You don't want to hurt your stomach." Perry pointed at the leaf platter.

Phineas ate everything, including the leaf, which surprised Perry a little. He hoped it wouldn't make him sick.

"How do we get out of here?" Phineas asked.

"I don't know. I don't know which way to go. We'll have to wait until someone finds us."

"Is someone looking for us?"

"Yeah. And if we stay put, they'll probably find us pretty soon."

Cassie stood up from feeding the babies and shook herself off. Milk splattered on the walls. "It is very hot. It will be dry season soon. And I am getting more tired and hungry."

Perry looked at Phineas. "We'll get you healthy again. But don't get yourself lost looking for me again, you hear?"


	5. Chapter 5

"I've picked up a faint signal!" Bernie said. "Agent P is in our area!"

Ferret glanced at the GPS Bernie was holding and shrugged. "Stinks that it can't pinpoint exactly where he is."  
"Still, going from no signal to a faint signal, it's pretty good! I'll sniff around. We'll find him in no time."

"Follow follow mommy!" A baby ferret pranced along behind Ferret.

"Meej, go home. It's not safe for you here."

"But I follow."

"No, Meej. Go home."

Meej turned around sadly and went back to his den.

* * *

"I bet your mom's freaking out." Perry said.

"I never thought of that." Phineas said, chewing on some vegetable Cassie had brought for him. "I hope she's okay."

"At least you're looking a little less bony." Perry said. "Don't worry about taking too much food. You need to chunk up." He was watching Cassie as he said this. Cassie had gotten rather plump lately, probably from eating so many chewed-up worms.

A small knock sounded on the side of the cave.

"If this is one of those stupid knock-knock jokes, I've already heard the Atch one." Perry called.

"I was just knocking." A familiar voice said.

"Ferb!" Phineas jumped up and ran out of the cave. He hugged his brother.

"What are you doing here?" Perry asked. "Did you get lost too?"

"I came to find Phineas." Ferb said, holding up a small device. "I created this tracking device a month ago and attached this tracker to Phineas's left shoe. I just remembered it this morning, so I used it and…"

"You found us!" Phineas said. "Can we go home now?"

Perry scratched his side. "Sure, but… I have no idea which way is out."

"I also put a tracking device on Candace's Ducky Momo toy. Ducky Momo isn't in Danville Wood. We can follow the signal and get home."

"Genius." Perry said. He turned to Cassie. "Thanks so much for everything."

"You are going?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah. I have to get home. But good luck to you guys."

"You are my alpha male and I will miss you." Cassie said.

"What?"

Cassie slapped her tail against his in farewell. "You must come back. Leaf and Tree and Rock will miss you."

"Uh… sure. And you can see me anytime. Just come by the agency, okay?"

"A-gen-cy. I will find it one day. And I will bring my babies. They will learn smartsies from you." Cassie said.

"Thanks so much." Perry followed Ferb away from the cave.

"Goodbye!" Phineas called to the platypuses.

"Goodbye human and alpha and other human who I do not know yet." Cassie said.

"I'm kind of going to miss Cassie." Phineas said.

"Untrained animals will do that to you." Perry said. "They're so out of it, but you love them anyway. And Cassie… she's much smarter than most wild platypuses. I wonder why."

* * *

"Here's a sandwich." Dennis said. "And a salad. I'm... sorry."

Wizard kind of smiled. "I'll help you in any way I can, Dennis. I just needed to threaten you so I could get what I needed."

"Fine. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Dennis pulled out one of his communication devices and spoke some codes into it. "Our enemy is approaching." He told Wizard.

"How do you know?"

"I can hear them. Don't you remember? My sense of hearing was improved greatly by that gadget I made once. I wish I still had it. But not to worry. We'll soon have the ability to learn more about the O.W.C.A, and Perry the platypus will be no more."

* * *

Phineas had been pretty good about keeping up with Ferb and Perry for a few minutes, but then he began to tire as the hunger got to him. Perry tried to encourage him to keep going, but it was pretty obvious that if Phineas didn't get something in his stomach pretty soon, he was going to faint.

"Hold up, Ferb." Perry said. He started climbing up a tree. There was a single apple sitting on one of the branches. It wasn't very big, but hopefully it would satiate Phineas until they got home. Perry plucked it off and tossed it down to Phineas, who started eating it.

"Danger." Came a chatter.

Perry looked down. Cassie was underneath the tree, looking up at him with fear. "Dangerous. Leave."  
"What?"

Cassie growled and bared her teeth. "Bad things are hiding. You must go. I cannot protect you now. My pups need me."

"What's hiding?"

"Go! Bad!" Cassie gave a warning screech and fled.

Perry climbed down from the tree. "We'd better go." He told the boys. They looked a little rattled from the screech. "Cassie says…"

Something grabbed him and punched him in the face. Perry fell against the tree trunk. He stood up as quickly as he could and fought back at the tiger, but a monkey and housecat had already come to the tiger's aid. They tied a rope around Perry's foot and hung him from a tree branch.

Perry snarled and snapped at them, but they were out of his reach. He looked around for the boys, and his heart nearly caught fire with frustration when he saw that they were being taken away by the rogues.

Phineas was hitting one of his captors over the head with his apple, but since he was so weak, the only thing it was doing was annoying the rogue.

"Hey, hey! Calm down! Be quiet!" Dennis shouted.

The rogues froze. Phineas and Ferb struggled, but it was no use.

"Perry…" Phineas gasped. "Help!"

Dennis turned to Perry and smiled. "Get comfortable, Perry, because that is where you will stay for the rest of your life. Which shouldn't be a very long time to wait."

"Let them GO, Dennis!" Perry clawed at Dennis, which caused him to swing back and forth a very short distance. Dennis laughed.

"We've been collecting a few humans and animals." Dennis said. "A lot of them have very interesting things to say about the agency. Things we can use."

"They know nothing!" Perry flailed, trying to break free.

"And even if we did know anything, we wouldn't tell you!" Phineas added.

Dennis smirked. "We have ways of getting our information. Even if you don't know anything, you'll be BEGGING to tell us everything you DO after spending an hour in our… information room."

Perry hissed and tried to bite the rope around his ankle.

"RESSCCUUUEEE!" Shouted a tiny voice.

"Destruction to the stupid bunny!" Said another.

Two baby ferrets came running at Dennis. They knocked him down.

Another baby ferret was following them, but he didn't jump on Dennis. He sat down near his siblings.

"Who the heck are you?" Dennis snapped.

"I Meej." Said the first baby ferret. "She Musty."

The second ferret who had jumped on Dennis was scratching him up. "Destruction! Dumb bunny. Hate bunny."

"I Theo." The last ferret said shyly.

"Get them, too." Dennis said. "Lock them up. Maybe we can tempt that idiot agent Ferret to walk straight into her captivity. These ARE hers, right?"

A giraffe that was holding Phineas nodded. "Meej, Musty and Theo. That's them."

Dennis snatched up the ferrets by their tails and strode away. The other rogues followed.

Perry swam desperately in the air, trying to grab hold of something, anything, but his strength was leaving him. He was growing dizzier as the blood rushed to his head. He could hardly see.

"Gosh darnit, Bobby Jane, is that a there platypus?"

"Why yes it is, Johnny Sue. Yes it is."  
Perry could hardly hear the beavers over his head, which had started pounding loudly. He gave a last desperate chatter, and his voice was gone.

"Why, gee, Johnny Sue, is that there platypus hanged?"

"Yep. That's a hanged platypus if I ere saw one."

"Well, we had better help 'im. Platypuses and beavers have thar same tails."

"How can we help 'im, Bobby Jane?"

"We can chew through that roperoo like there ain't no tomorrow, Johnny Sue. Now, what kinda rope do you reckon that are?"

"I reckon it's a thick-woven horsehair rope, Bobby Jane. I ain't seen one of those since nineteen twenty five."

"You weren't alive then there, Johnny Sue."

"Touché, Bobby Jane."

Perry heard a slight clawing noise as one of the beavers climbed the tree. The beaver began to chew the rope.

"Now there, Bobby Jane, I just thoughta somethin'."  
"And what's that about, Johnny Sue?"

"Well, when you chew through that there horsehair rope, that platypus is gonna fall and land right on his little head. And that ain't gonna feel good, Bobby Jane."

"I reckon you're right, Johnny Sue."

"I'll move over here, Bobby Jane, so I can catch 'im when he then falls."

"Okay, Johnny Sue."

Finally Bobby Jane chewed through the rope. Perry fell into Johnny Sue's arms. He felt a little lightheaded.

"Now looky there, Bobby Jane. I caught me a platypus."

"We rescued him darn right, Johnny Sue. We oughta be dang proud of weselves."

"Dang proud, Bobby Jane. We are dang proud. There ya go, little platterpus." Johnny Sue set Perry down on the ground. "Now then, Bobby Jane, let's head over to them duck pond."

"We'll have a right good time there, Johnny Sue. A darn right good time."

The two beavers padded away.

As soon as they vanished, Perry tried to recollect his thoughts. Where could the rogues have taken Phineas and Ferb?

All he could remember was the way they looked, terrified and pleading, begging him to help them. And he couldn't.

Perry started to cry helplessly.

"Hey, buddy. It's okay. We've found you."

Perry looked up. Through his tears he saw a watery Bernie.

"You'll be fine." Bernie said. He picked Perry up and carried him out of Danville Wood. Perry continued to sob uncontrollably.

* * *

Perry woke up in a warm bed near an open window. He felt exhausted. His ankle was still sore from the rope and his head was spinning with thoughts of rogues and western-accented beavers.

"How long is he staying?" A woman asked from outside of the room.

"I don't know, honey." That was Monogram's voice. "Agent B found him last night. The poor thing was pretty traumatized. It took a lot just to get him to stop crying, and he refused to eat or drink anything."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. Either being lost in the woods scared him, or something happened to him. Whatever the case, he's just not acting like himself. I'll keep him in the guest room, I promise."

"I'll be making sandwiches." The woman said. Perry heard her high heels click off into the distance.

Monogram came into the room and sat down next to Perry's bed. "You'll be okay. We won't let them take you again."  
Perry whimpered and covered his head with his pillow.

"Everything's okay." Monogram reassured him, stroking his back. "You're back. We'll get some food in you and get you back home. Everything's okay."

But Perry knew he was lying. Phineas and Ferb were in the hands of the rogues.

And that was NOT okay.

* * *

Wizard awoke in a patch of moldy grass.

All he remembered was getting mauled by a stupid bear. Where was he now? In the bear's den, about to be eaten for dinner?  
"Welcome to Gluum!" A dog said, running up to him. "Name's Daly, and I created this place. Are you visiting, or are you a resident?"  
"What?"

Daly patted Wizard on the head. "Yep, you're staying. Anyhow, this is where souls go when their bodies die… sometimes. Sometimes they go other places."

"Like back to the surface." Said a deep voice. Daly's expression changed to one of disgust as he turned to face the tall man behind him.

"Simon." Daly hissed. "Go away."

"Would you like to return to the surface?" Simon asked. "Even for a little while? Would you like to destroy those who caused you pain? Would you like to take care of some unfinished business?"

Simon held out his hand.

"Don't listen to him!" Daly said. "He's devious!"

Wizard put his hand into Simon's.

**To Be Continued in the next story, Possess**


End file.
